The formation of such a department had been in consideration since 1934 when the University was requested to establish a chair by the Czechoslovak National Council of America.1 Courses in Russian began to be offered in 1942 on the undergraduate level and in 1952 on the graduate level. 2 Formerly part of the French Department, a separate Russian Department was established in 1959.3 In the same year the program leading to a masters degree was approved and in 1961, one leading to a Ph.D. was approved.4 In 1963 the University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the Department to Slavic Languages and Literature.5